The Magnificent Seven Ride Again?

The few Golden State fans that are masochistic enough to watch every game witnessed an unexpected treat last spring -- some competitive play from an unheralded and undermanned group of guys. Azubuike, Crawford, Kurz, Morrow, Randolph, Turiaf, Watson... these were not names that struck fear in the hearts of men. And yet this heptet, with occasional help from more ballyhooed guest stars like Monta and Biedrins, keyed a three-game winning streak and an inspiring win in Salt Lake City before running out of gas with two games left to go. These guys moved the ball well, they defended gamely, and they functioned well as a unit. They exceeded expectations, and were damn entertaining in doing so. Bay Area media wags dubbed this ragtag bunch The Magnificent Seven.

Something similar seems to be brewing on this road trip. Curry, George, Hunter, Morrow, Tolliver, Turiaf, Watson... it's another punchless-sounding lineup, even with a ROY contender in the mix. Combined, these seven guys make 11.1 million dollars, barely more than Monta Ellis makes by himself. But these seven rate as the most effective court presences on the team. These guys have been successful in their limited time on the court together. And last night, in a season marked by near-historic incompetence on the road, these guys were a few bricks away from toppling a likely playoff team in their building. The most fun stretch of '09-'10 Warriors basketball may be unfolding before our eyes.

In addition to the loveable CJ/Morrow/Ronny trio, this unit has four key traits in common with the Magnificent Seven of yesteryear:

1) Nobody Guns. None of these guys are going to gum up the flow of the offense with selfish play... CJ and Ronny, in particular, are contagiously unselfish. The ball moves quickly and effectively. (Anthony Morrow did take 22 shots in Miami, but because the team got him 22 shots, not because he was just in the mood to take that many.)

2) Everybody Shoots. Conversely, there are no Biedrinses that are actively shying away from the ball. In a free-form offense like this one, every player need to be at least somewhat willing to score. All seven of these guys can hit an 18-foot jumper...

3) Threes Aplenty. ...and five of them can hit from beyond the arc. As we've mentioned before, the easiest way for a bad team to pull off some upsets is to launch some threes and hope for the best. To this point in the season, the Warriors have seemed largely unaware of this fact. This unit seems to get that.

4) More Bigs Than Guards. Another point we've made before: this team has better success when shorthandedness prevents Nellie from dicking around with smallball. With two guards, two swings and three big men, he has to field conventionally sized lineups more often than not... he's basically unable to affect the game with his coaching. And that's a good thing.

None of this guarantees success or even consistent competitive play. A road trip that includes five games in seven games will exhaust any team, and especially one whose players are forced to spend so many minutes on the floor. Curry, Turiaf and Hunter are all prone to foul trouble. And unlike last year's overachievers, this group doesn't have a single strong rebounder; the 15-rebound deficit last night was every bit as critical as the misses from downtown. This heptet is probably not as threatening as the one that preceded it.

But this heptet does have an X-factor. Last night, Reggie Williams scored assertively but not selfishly... he found open men... he hit both threes he attempted... he even grabbed five rebounds in twenty minutes. He showed genuine savvy out there, and like Morrow last year, he's a guy that opposing teams won't be preparing for. If he can take on the minutes of Devean George, who's easily the new-look Seven's weak link, the Warriors' offense may have enough firepower and dynamism to outweigh the weaknesses on defense and the boards.

It's ridiculous to expect a call-up to make an immediate difference in the fortunes of an NBA team. But that's the thing about these underdog outfits: they do a lot of things you might not expect. And whether they win or lose, this group will be worth watching, something that can't be said for much of the Warriors' season to date.